From the Ashes
by Sarah the mutant farm girl
Summary: Sequel to The Boogeyman, Race to Kill, and The Burning Family. Better sum on my profile. After the fire the Daemon girls and Winchester boys have to put their lives back together and move on. But that's never easy when your a hunter.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do."

Billy-Jack didn't even blink. He just sat there as he had all night. He had never treated his family as he should have and now it had been ripped to shreds. His mom burst into tears. As if that would do any good at this point. Billy-Jack looked up at Athena. She'd always been such a good, careful girl. She'd taken all her cues from Autumn, now without Autumn to watch she'd curled into Sam Winchester's side. He had to give the man credit. Athena had these perfect long legs and hourglass figure, she was far more than easy on the eyes. Most guys Billy-Jack knew would kill to have the girl wrapped around them as tightly as she was now wrapped around Sam. But Sam just kept and arm around her. Something about the way he held Athena stated clearly that he could protect her from all the bad things. Movement in the direction of his slumbering daughters caught his eye. Dean Winchester was nothing like his brother. Something about that man rubbed Billy-Jack all the wrong ways. But as much as he disliked him his daughters had taken a shine to him. Instead of looking to their father for comfort they had gone to Dean.

"Miss Daemon was clinically dead for nearly two minutes but we have her stable for the moment." the doctor continued.

Billy-Jack was disappointed. Autumn was still alive. There should be some relief some weight should have just left his shoulders but none did. If anything he felt himself sink deeper in his chair. The doctor didn't stay any longer, white lab coat billowing behind him he stalked off. Billy-Jack found himself watching Dean. He had Kelly asleep on the lower part of his legs and Kendra and Kayla had their heads in his lap. A blanket had been draped over each of them. Dean's hands and arms were bandaged up now. He'd received some nasty burns trying to save Nick. The thought of his son sent a knife straight through Billy-Jack's heart. A cold voice in his head laughed. He didn't have a heart.

"Betty, you need to get a hold of yourself." his father urged taking his wife in his arms. Billy-Jack longed to do the same thing. But there was nothing left of his wife. Not even enough to put in an urn. The old man had tears welling up in his eyes. Billy-Jack remembered so clearly the day his parents had signed the guardianship papers for Autumn and Athena. There had been this pride in the way they had moved. The pair had worn happiness as cloaks, shrouding themselves. He'd never done anything to make them look that way. The girls just had to be. At least he hadn't done anything until his children, and they were all accidents.

"We should get the children home." Betty Sue said standing up and flicking away her tears. Billy-Jack knew she still hadn't forgiven Dean, but he had. He knew he'd deserved more than what Dean had done to him. "Come on Billy-Jack, you don't need to be here. There's nothing for you anymore." He so badly wanted to fight this. Tell his mother that despite all the bad that Autumn remembered he still loved her and even though she was far past loving him she was worth waiting around for. But instead of saying any of this he stood up took one of his daughters in his arms while his mother and father took one each. "Athena, if she dies call me."

"Why don't you just go to hell?" Athena asked pulling Sam still closer. Billy-Jack saw his mother bristle but didn't know how to smooth the feathers. Not without ruffling more. Dean looked about ready to hit Betty Sue. So when the woman had walked off enough not to hear he pretended to be picking something up off the floor.

"Thanks Dean." he whispered. Dean just nodded.

"You know you can't crawl inside me right?" Sam asked once the Mortons were gone.

"I can still try." Athena balled up her fists and rubbed them furiously into her eyes.

"I'm going for a cup of joe you guys want anything?" Dean asked standing up and stretching.

"Why don't we all take a walk?" Sam suggested.

"You two go I'll stay here and wait on news." Athena said grabbing for her jacket and hugging it when Sam stood up.

"You sure?" Dean asked. "You really shouldn't be alone right now."

"I'm not two Dean. I'll survive." tears were brimming in her eyes but she wiped them away and kept a steady gaze on him.

"If you say so." Dean shrugged though it caused him a good deal of pain. He let Sam lead the way towards the cafeteria. He needed something high in caffeine.

As soon as Dean and Sam were out of sight a doctor walked up to Athena.

"Miss?" Athena looked up at the man. "Would you like to go see your sister?" He asked.

"Really? Is she awake?" Athena's eyes suddenly seemed to be brighter and awake.

"No. But since you're the only one here now if you would like to go see her you may." Athena stood up and walked with the doctor to the double doors. He typed in a four-digit password and the doors opened. They walked down the hall and turned right. The doctor held his hand out to show Athena that that was the room her sister was in. She pulled the curtain and pulled it back behind her, then turned around to see her sister. So many happy memories raced through Athena's mind. The sound of Autumn's laugh sounded as she remembered the two having a pillow fight just a few weeks before now. Athena thought of when they were kids and she was afraid of storms, she'd go into her sister's room and crawl in next to Autumn who would wrap her arms around Athena and tell her she was fine and nothing was going to happen. But now Autumn was laying in her gurney, completely unconscious. A tear rolled down the younger girl's face as she walked over and sat down on the side of her sisters bed. She ran her fingers through her sisters hair and talked to her.

"You can't leave me. You're my sister and you're all I have left." Athena gently grabbed her sister's hand. "If you leave who's going to keep me from doing all the stupid stuff? …… Betty said to call if you…" Athena didn't want to think of her sister in any worse condition that she was already in. "…if you didn't get better. Do you believe that?" Athena took a deep breath and let go of her sister. She stood up and gently kissed her sister's forehead and walked out of the room. She began walking down the hall which she had come from and was met by the doctor that led her there.

"Is everything alright, miss?" he asked. Athena just stared at the doctor.

"You're asking me if everything is alright? My sister is unconscious and was dead for two minutes and you're asking me if everything is alright?"

"Ma'am we're doing all we can do. I'm sure your sister is going to be fine. You need to relax."

"MY SISTER IS DYING!" This caught every doctor's attention. "I can't relax. I'm tired, I haven't slept in what seems like years, my best friend died in a fire, my nephew suffocated, and from the burns, he went through hell at just six months old, and my step-mother said to _call her_ if my sister died! Could you relax? I don't think so." Athena stormed past the doctor and back through the double doors to meet Sam and Dean at the nurses desk.

"Hey, there you are." Dean said. "We didn't know where you went."

"The damn doctor said I could go see her." Athena said. She didn't bother stopping to talk to the two, instead she went back to where she had been sitting when they left.

"…How is she?" Sam asked sitting next to her. He lifted up an arm to let Athena curl back up next to him. Dean took the other side just after.

"She's still unconscious. Nothing has improved. But they're apparently doing all they can." Athena said mocking the doctor as she curled up as close to Sam as she could. She laid her head on his chest and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Teenie just calm down. She'll be fine." Dean coaxed. "I was in a coma once." Athena looked over at Dean. "Yeah. It's pretty cool… besides the fact no one can hear you or talk to you. Hell you could verbally bitch slap someone and they'd never know." Athena chuckled and shut her eyes.

"If she doesn't wake up; what're we going to do? Will you guys still hang around me?" Athena asked.

"Of course we will." Sam whispered petting her head. Dean slouched into his chair and folded his arms across his chest. Sam continued to hold Athena and do his best to relax her and within a few minutes she was asleep.

Even though several nurses told them not to they slept in the waiting room to the ICU. Not that they really did much sleeping. It was a long restless night and every time the double doors opened their heads popped up and they stared hopefully. But no news ever came. The doctor left the following morning and a new doctor came in. She wasn't as positive as the nightshift doctor. She kept saying things like "You need to decide what you want done with her after she passes." and "If she doesn't begin breathing on her own it could be a very long time before we can wake her up if that day ever comes." But Athena had gotten better control of herself. When she went out to her car to get clothes that didn't smell like smoke she found Autumn's phone. It's buzzer went off. Autumn had a voice mail. Athena didn't worry about her sister's privacy for more that two seconds. She dialed 86 then when the automated voice came on she punched in her sister's password, their parents anniversary.

"First unheard message," then John's voice came on. "Autty, Barbie, I'll be there as soon as I can. Looks like tomorrow around noon at the earliest. You didn't say when the attack was going to take place. Call me." the automated voice returned. "Second unheard message: Girls you're worrying me. I'll be there as soon as possible call me. Third unheard message: Hey it's Jen. John's calling here every hour. What's going on? Where are you." the messages continued on this way. In total there were fourteen messages and thirty-eight missed calls. Athena dialed John he answered on the second ring.

"Autumn! What's going on?"

"It's Athena. Autumn… Autumn's in bad shape." she explained.

"Will she be alright?" John asked. He was getting control of himself now the panic from the messages and his first sentence was gone.

"We don't know. They have her in a chemically induced coma right now. The pain would be too much or something. Then the dumb asses used a medication she was allergic to and killed her for two minutes. She's not breathing on her own. Martha and the baby are dead. Dean's all burned up too." Athena was losing her cool as John gathered his. "Billy-Jack took the dog home with him though. Not that, that would make her very happy. She hates the way he treats animals. But what choice did I have? I can't have him in the waiting room can I?"

"Barbie, slow down. Deep breath." Athena did as she was told.

"I'm just so lost, Dad."

"I know. You said Dean's burned up, when did he get there? Is Sammy with him?"

"Yea, Sam's here too. We've been traveling together since right after Halloween. Met up in a bar on that last hunt you sent us on."

"Are they okay?"

"Yea, Dean's got some nasty burns on his arms but other than that no worse for the wear." she assured the man.

"Okay, what hospital are you at?"

"Jewish down in Cincinnati."

"I'm about thirty minutes from there. What are you doing?"

"You mean to speed things up?" the silence on the other end urged her to continue. "I was waiting on you. Thinking about heading out for Sage. She fixed Will up like it was nothing and he had a bullet through his heart."

"Okay, when I get there you can go do that. Until then don't do anything." he ended the call and Athena called Jen to tell her what had happened.

Jen didn't even wait until the call was finished before she ordered a red cross made. White crosses were for close non-hunters like Caleb and Pastor Jim. Red meant a hunter was on the verge of death. Black meant an expert hunter had been slaughtered. Green was for the newbies who died in service. Then she had grey ones for hunters who passed after retiring. In the main cabin of Jen's camp was a large purple bulletin in the shape of a heart and on it were the names of all the hunters worthy of a purple heart. Athena and Autumn had spent a lot of time at that camp researching and training while waiting on a case their level.

Sam was alone in the waiting room. Dean had been taken into a little curtained off room to have his arms re-bandaged. From the swearing she'd heard when she'd passed, it wasn't exactly painless. Sam had a cup of coffee and bag of potato chips waiting for her. She hadn't gotten as far as changing she'd been distracted by the phone.

"What happened?" he asked when she sat down.

"I checked Autumn's messages. Your dad'll be here in a half hour."

"He's actually coming?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't tell Dean though. He seemed pretty upset when w called on Thanksgiving and he called back. Just let John appear." Sam shrugged and handed Athena the coffee and chips he had bought for her. "Thanks."

"Not a problem. You seem to be feeling a lot better."

"I got a little sleep. And I figure crying and getting myself all worked up isn't going to help her any. I'm really in hopes that when John goes in there to talk to her she'll wake up."

"Maybe. She looks at him like a father and not seeing him in so long will make her ecstatic."

"Yeah." Athena chuckled. "Probably. That'd be kinda funny though, she's laying there all quiet and stuff, and then John walks in and talks to her for like thirty seconds and her eyes jerk open, she sits straight up and starts talking really fast like the Gilmore girls about all the things we've done and how much we've missed him… I don't see it happening though."

"She'll be fine. No doubt, Autumn wouldn't leave you here alone." About that time Dean ran out from behind the double doors with gauze hanging from his arms. Two doctors came out moments later shouting for the man to come back, but Dean ran back to his seat next to Athena.

"Damn that shit hurts. Ripping off my gauze… and then they have to poke it and rub cream all over it… and they're not even women."

"Dean you've got to get it treated or it'll never heal." Athena pushed on Dean's back to get him to stand but only managed to get him to lean forwards.

"It'll heal. It just won't look all pretty like the rest of me."

"Do you want it to look pretty?" Dean shrugged. "Get your ass in there and get your damn arms treated right." Dean grunted.

"I don't want to."

"I don't care."

"Will you do it?" Athena glared at Dean.

"Sammy hold these I've got to go hold the baby's hand while he gets a shot."

"No one said anything about shots."

"You're not getting shots, your getting your arm treated so it will heal right and not look like a monkeys ass when it finally does heal."

Athena handed Sam back the opened bag of chips and coffee and walked off holding Dean's hand back behind the double doors. Sam slouched into his chair, leaned his head back and shut his eyes. Dean and Athena were still back getting him re-bandaged when John came in. He threw his coat on top of Sam making his son jump. Jerking back into reality Sam stared bleary eyed at the tall burly man before him.

"What no hello for your old man?" John asked holding his arms out. Sam shoved the heavy coat off himself letting it fall to the floor as he threw his arms around his father.

"Hey, old man." releasing his son he wagged a finger in his face.

"Careful there, we don't need to fight in the ICU. Where's Barbie and your brother?"

"Barbie?" Sam asked brow cocked. John smirked merciless.

"Athena. You know blond, looks like a model… You have seen _her_ haven't you?"

"She's with Dean. He had to get his arms redressed and the male nurses were too rough or something." John nodded.

"We allowed to go back and see Autumn then?" Sam shrugged.

"Athena's the only one who's gone back so far. That was last night." John looked around and spotted the nearest nurse.

"Excuse me ma'am. Can I get back in the ICU? My daughter came in last night, she was in the fire out on McMicken street." he ran his fingers through his hair and put on a face of pure worry. Sam watched his dad with nothing but admiration for the man. For a moment he was proud to share genes with this bear. But leave it to John Winchester to prove that even in one of his proudest moments he was Dean's father too. John's eyes slid up and down the nurse's body when she looked over his shoulder to the double doors.

"The fire? So you're Autumn Daemon's father?" John nodded.

"Well, her parents died when she was small I looked after her after that." the nurse's eyes softened.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. The poor girl, she's lucky to have someone like you in her life." she started for the doors. "I should probably check with the doctor first but as long as you don't cause a scene it'll be fine."

The nurse punched in the code and then led John back to Autumn's room. She looked like hell. Her arms were bandaged and her hair was considerably thinner, shorter, and darker than it had ever been before. There was nothing about her frail form to suggest life existed of its own free will within. John took a deep shattering breath and the nurse put her hand on his arm.

"If you need anything just push this button," she pointed to the red call light button, "and I'll be back in a flash."

"Thank you." John was sincere she may not have known it but she had just made his day.

"I'll leave you alone." she dismissed herself and John watched her go. The moment she was out of sight he turned back to Autumn.

"What the hell were you thinking this time, Red?" he asked sitting down next to her. He didn't bother trying to stop his fingers from delicately touching the tube that went into her mouth and down her throat pumping air to her lungs. "I should never have taught you anything. Even when you wanted to learn to shoot a bow as a kid I should have turned you down. Look what it's done to you." The acute beeping of the heart monitor was his only response. John sat silent for a long moment watching the slow steady rising and falling of her chest and listening to the heart monitor. "You're one hell of a piece of work you know it kid? Hard to believe you're not mine. Act just like my boys." he shook his head. "First you run out in the woods when you'd been told to stay out of them. Of course then you at least went with Dean. Then you look me up and have me teach you little things. I could have sworn it was just self defense then. But the werewolf. That was it wasn't it? You knew this is what you wanted when he showed up didn't you?" John stood up. He wanted to shake her, make her wake up. Instead he walked out.

Dean and Athena were back now. Athena was talking quickly her hands flying every which way as she told Sam a story. No doubt, from the way Dean kept interjecting, it was about what had happened while the nurses had taken care of his arms. John stood just out of sight watching the three. He wondered not for the first time if he'd done the right thing. Athena's eyes were red rimmed and none of the three looked like they'd slept well but they were together. It wasn't just the physical togetherness either. John could actually see them bound to one another. Had he done the right thing keeping them a part for so long?

"John." Athena breathed his name as if it were the most delicate word in all the world. He smiled.

"Hey Barbie." she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck squeezing him tight before kissing his cheek and releasing. "Easy there kiddo. You three look like you've been beat to hell." Athena still grinned from ear to ear as she sat back down beckoning him to sit also.

"We have but that's all part of the job." she didn't mention her sister in fact she didn't even glance in that direction. But Dean and Sam did. This was why John had kept them apart. Now all five of them were in one place. All five of them were just sitting around and waiting for one person to get back on their feet. That was five too many out of the game.

"How was she?" Sam asked. Dean was still didn't seem to have processed the fact that he was here.

"For the first time, son, since I've known her she didn't have a thing to say." the four of them gave off a short burst of laughter. It wasn't the happy kind of laughing it was the kind that said if they didn't laugh they'd all lose their minds.

"I talked to the doctor." Dean announced. "He said if she isn't breathing on her own in the next 48 hours chances are she'll stay in that coma." Athena bent her head closing herself off from the world behind a curtain of golden locks.

"Teenie, you said you wanted to go get Sage. You think she can really do something?" Dean watched his father carefully.

"Yea, she's done more with less. You've seen her in action." She didn't look up.

"Then I'll stay here. You go get Sage." John instructed gently.

"What if she wakes up? I should be here." Athena's body went rigid and John who was sitting between his son's on the couch leaned forward taking her hands in his.

"If she wakes up and your not here I'll just tell her you went to get real help. She'll understand."

"No she won't." she barely raised her head to look John in the eye. "She would never leave my side and she won't understand me leaving hers."

"Athena, she would leave your side in this case. She would know that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and would watch over you until she got back. She wouldn't hesitate before going to get you anything you needed." Athena pulled away.

"Fine, I'll go. Just make sure she knows I'll be back." the young woman that John could still see as an eight year old little girl stood up. "I'm leaving now, I should be able to get to Sage's by nightfall maybe a little later at this point."

"I'll keep you company." Sam offered. Athena didn't protest she just threw the double doors a pointed look and started down the hall pulling on her coat as she went with Sam at her heels.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:I'm not sure if I put this on the first chapter or not. But like everything else on I don't own this. **

**Chapter Two**

"So you kept contact with them last year but not us?" Dean asked as soon as the younger two were gone.

"No. They called me kept me posted one where they were and what they were doing. I only returned their call the other day because Autumn didn't sound right. But I know why that was, now." John folded his arms over his chest and nestled down in the couch.

"Why?" Used to Dean wouldn't ask questions, he wouldn't open is mouth to get anything other than orders. But things had changed.

"I ordered the girls to stay away from you and Sam." he didn't need to look at his son. He knew Dean was confused and trying to mask it. "They were weak and vulnerable. I know how you are with girls and the last thing we needed was you to get involved with one of them."

"Weak and vulnerable, shouldn't we have been with them more so because of that? You put their lives at stake over worrying I wouldn't keep it zipped?" John looked at his son from the corner of his eye.

"Look at them, if you had an opening?" Dean made a face bouncing his head around. "Exactly. Autumn had just been put through a wall. It wasn't just physical weakness and vulnerability. It was everything."

"Dad." John grinned.

"How bad are your arms?"

"I'll survive."

"They aren't as bad as Autumn's are they?" Dean picked up on the hint of emotion in his father's voice.

"No, I was more covered and wasn't in there as long. She was in the nursery."

"Sam and Athena won't be back until tomorrow night at the earliest we have a place for the night?" Dean shook his head. "Good, then they can't kick us out."

"Who's Sage?" Dean asked settling in next to his father. He felt like he was ten again waiting on Sammy who had broken his arm.

"She's a healer. Back at one time she was a doctor, but she lost her license practicing medicine outside of an office. Athena puts a lot in her." John pushed himself up. "Want me to just start at the beginning?" Dean nodded, now it was just like when Sam broke his arm. "I dropped Autumn and Athena off with the Rainings. They have a place set up in Montana. They train hunters and have access to more information than any single hunter has ever dreamt of. It's sort of like a summer camp for beginners. I left the girls up there with Red Raining, he said he'd keep an eye on them and sharpen their edges. Athena and Red's son William took a real shine to each other. William convinced his father to let him take the girls on a few hunts. From what Red said Autumn just invited herself along. They were together about six, seven months when his dad called for him. Said to leave the girls with his sister. Red had been hunting a shadow shroud for a while. William got there in time to watch his father die. He picked up where his father left off. Wasn't two days before he called Athena and told her to come armed heavily. Autumn and Athena go to his motel room and he was on the bed the shadow shroud was on him. He ordered Athena to shoot him. The bullet pierced the shroud and then went through his chest. Put a hole in his heart. Autumn put him and her sister in the mustang and took them to Sage. Then the girls went back to continue the hunt. It took them a week to get back to Sage. William had regained enough strength that he was gone. That I know of neither ever talked to him again. But William is alive and well somewhere and that's enough for Athena to believe she can heal her sister."

"I guess." Dean stared at the clock. Twenty minutes since Sam left. He and John had nothing to talk about and he still wasn't happy with his father for blaming Sam for the demon getting away. A doctor walked up and saved him though.

"You two with Autumn Daemon?"

"Yes. Why? Is she okay?" Deans heart sunk.

"She's fine. I was just going to say, you don't have to sit in the waiting room, you can come back and sit with her if you like. There's a couple chairs back there for you."

"That'd be great." Dean said. The two men stood up and followed the doctor back to Autumn.

"You should talk to her, let her know you're here."

"Can she hear us?" John asked. The doctor hugged her clipboard and shrugged.

"There are studies that say she can." she sucked her bottom lip in and chewed at it for a moment. "Others say she can't. I believe she can."

"That's good enough for us. Thank you." John dismissed the woman. "What are we supposed to say to her?" Dean sat down in one of the chairs and watched his father pace. He couldn't bring himself to look Autumn full on. He should have gotten her out, never should have left her alone in that fire.

"Just talk Dad."

"How'd you kids meet up?" Dean relaxed enough to get his jaw moving. He jumped into meeting Athena in the bar. John interjected here and there with information on how they should have handled any given situation. On occasion Dean would pat Autumn's hand and ask her if he had the story right.

"You've done that?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it was fun." Athena laughed at Sam. It was the first time she'd actually laughed since the fire.

"How many people have been skydiving… that you know."

"Umm Autty was with me. We did that together." Athena took a quick glance from the road over at Sam who was staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just … nothing."

"No, what?"

"Don't worry about it. So I thought you were afraid of heights."

"I was… and still am. But it was fun."

"Would you do it again?"

"Definitely. But I'd rather not think about that right now, Autumn's still on my mind."

"She shouldn't be, Teenie. She's going to be fine. Dean and I aren't going to let anything happen to either of you." Athena shook her head.

"She's in a coma, Sammy."

"Okay, we're not going to let anything happen to either of you while she's in the hospital, good enough?"

"Yeah. Hey Sammy?"

"What?"

"I never really told you this, but I love you."

"What?"

"Like a brother. Dean's like a big brother to me and you're kind of the same, only you're my age. I look up to you guys. Kind of like Autty, only I grew up with her and we're a lot closer. But you guys are like brothers to me. I love you both. But you can't tell Dean. He'd find a way to turn it on me later, I'm sure." Sam didn't say anything for a long time he just stared out the window and tried to process all this new information. "Sammy! Promise?"

"Yea, yea. I promise." he nodded.

"Thanks." Athena leaned forward and turned up the radio in hopes the voice would fill that hole in her.

"Panic at the disco?" Sam asked.

"What? You don't like it? I could put Led Zeplin on if you'd prefer that."

"No… please no."

"Why? Dean plays it?"

"All the time." Athena laughed at Sam and then began singing 'But It's Better If You Do'. Sam looked over at Athena and shook his head. She reminded him so much of his brother, radio turned up, singing, and beating the tune on the steering wheel.

It was about a half hour past dusk when she pulled off the highway onto a dirt drive. Way back off the road was an ivy covered shack. It couldn't have been larger than three rooms and had an out house in the side yard. Athena navigated the pot hole filled driveway and parked the car. She turned in her seat to face Sam.

"No matter what stay in the car until I signal you." she ordered.

"Why? What's going to happen?" he asked puzzled.

"She usually does a lot of yelling, threatening, and shoot her shot gun in the air unless you're bleeding or obviously dying." Athena said releasing her seat belt and climbing out of the car.

"How'd you meet her again?" Sam called after her. Without turning around Athena answered.

"Long story."

Usually she wouldn't even think about knocking on the woman's door but today was different. Autumn needed her possibly more than ever, and she wasn't going to let fear stop her. She raised the brass knocker and smacked against the door several times. She was rewarded with the sound of a gun being cocked and the door opening just a crack.

"Who is it?" the hermit woman inside demanded.

"Daemon." Athena replied. The gun came out first followed by a woman with black wiry hair and a large hooked nose, poised at the very time of which sat a disturbing wart where three little hairs grew. Sage pointed the gun right at Athena's chest.

"What is it girlie? I told you before I don't have your little boyfriend." she barked.

"Autumn was in a fire, caused by a demon. She needs you." Athena watched as Sage's razor sharp yellow-green eyes softened.

"Get the boy out of your little pimpmobile and get in here. I'll have to hear the whole story if I'm going to help you." she swung the gun around and went back inside. Athena motioned for Sam to get out of the car and walked inside.

"Sit." Sage demanded. Athena did as she was told. "Now tell me what went wrong this time."

"We were at Thanksgiving dinner, everything was fine besides how many times Dean hit Billy-Jack and how many times Betty got pissed at him and everyone else. And then one time Betty got tremendously pissed and threw us out. So we're driving along and about three hours later Dean and Sam pull over because Sam had a vision that the demon was coming after Nick." About this time Sam walked in.

"Who's Nick?" Sage asked.

"It's Martha and Billy's six month old baby… or was." Sage nodded.

"Okay, go on."

"We drove all the way back to Martha's house and by the time we got there it was too late. Autumn was in the nursery so she got burned really bad. Martha and Nick are dead now and Autumn's in coma. That's why I came here. I need your help." Sage closed her eyes and a hairless cat jumped up in her lap.

"Don't stand there boy sit." she instructed Sam stroking the cat. "Is the coma caused by the burns?"

"Not directly." Athena answered.

"Meaning…"

"Meaning they put her in a chemically induced coma to serve as an escape from the pain and Autumn turned out to be allergic to it. The reaction to the medication on top of everything over whelmed her system and collapsed her lungs."

"So she's dead. Why are you here if your sister is dead?"

"She's not dead."

"You just told me her lungs collapsed."

"Yes, but she's not dead."

"How is she not dead?"

"Well, ma'am. Autumn was technically dead for two minutes, but she came back." Sam interrupted.

"Oh I see. Why couldn't you of just told me that, Athena?" Sage asked.

"I was trying to but you kept asking me questions." She answered.

"Hey." Sage pointed a finger at Athena. "Don't get smart with me, girly. I won't come to… which hospital is she at again?"

"Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati Ohio."

"Your sister's Jewish? Huh… I never knew." Athena shook her head. "How severe are her burns?"

"A lot of third degree where the skin was showing where it wasn't they're not as bad." Athena answered.

"You said this was a demon fire? How strong a demon?" Sam actually laughed earning himself a glare from both women. "This is not a joke boy. If you think this is funny I'll set a demon fire on your ass."

"Sorry." Sam said hanging his head.

"It was the demon that killed Mary. And Jessica, Sam's girlfriend. It's extremely strong."

"Guess it's not your girlfriend no more is it, boy?" Sage laughed, but no one else found it funny in the slightest.

"Can you help us or not?" Athena asked. Sage nodded.

"Even if I couldn't I'd come and try. Autumn hasn't forgotten me yet." Sage said standing up and going into a Hoosier cabinet. "Athena you know where the bed is go. You two need to rest you look like shit. I'll pack my things and wake you when I'm done." Athena started to protest but the woman just pointed. "Go now little missy."

"Is she always like that?" Sam asked following Athena into the only other room in the house/shack.

"Pretty much. But she's good at what she does. Sort of like your father." Sam cocked his brow.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Athena shrugged.

"Whatever." she laid down in the bed after shoving a pile of clothes off. "We actually have to sleep though or she'll kill us." Sam sighed then awkwardly crawled into the bed next to Athena.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Sage shook the two sleeping hunters awake. She was almost violent in her attempt to wake them. Sam jumped when he opened his eyes, fore there was a little hairless alien on his chest. Athena collected the cat with a laugh. Sage rolled her eyes.

"Athena toss Fluffy outside and get your keys." the older woman instructed giving Sam an extra smack upside the head. "You, you're John's youngest aren't you?" Sam nodded getting up to follow Athena. "I thought so. The moment I saw ya I figured that was who you were. Good man, too bad he's hell bent on revenge. Much more to life than all that."

Sam took the wheel Athena in the passenger seat giving him directions. It was just past midnight, now. Sage kept a constant flow of questions so neither of them drifted back to sleep. Athena had to push past tears a few times, and every time she did Sam found his hand reaching for hers. Sage was a harsh, just the facts, woman. She didn't seem to let silly little things like emotions hold any rule over her.

"Shouldn't they have called by now?" Dean asked. John shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Yes, but if something happened I'm sure they're fine." he tried to ease his son's suffering. But that was difficult to do with Autumn laying suspended between life and death in the same room.

The pair had been exchanging war stories for hours now and becoming restless. Nurses stopped periodically to check Autumn's vitals and urge them to find someplace to sleep. A few times he'd caught one of the younger girls standing outside the door listening. She must have thought they'd gone hatter the way they'd been going on about vampires and ghosts.

"Do you remember how we met the Daemons?" John asked in effort to fill the silence. Dean shook his head.

"No, they mentioned something about Indian spirits but never went into the details." John was glad. That gave him another story to tell.

"I had heard of hunters being terrorized by an unknown creature in a wooded area of Ohio, so I loaded you and Sam up then headed out."

_Flash back_

_John pulled into 6792 McMicken Street. There was nothing to see except trees, fields, barns, and pastures dotted with cattle or horses. This was the residency of the man who had the honor of being the first victim. Denis Daemon, had been survived by a wife, Paula, a brother, sister in-law, and two nieces. All of which shared the same property. Though, he quickly realized the nearest barn had been converted into a house. He climbed up on the wrap around porch and knocked on the door. It was only a matter of seconds before a green eyed, blonde girl answered the door. John squatted down to her height._

_"Is your mommy or daddy home, little one?" he asked._

_"Nope. Mommy is at the church bake sale and Daddy is in fields with Joshy. I'm Athena." the little girl volunteered._

_"Then whose watching you?" he asked her._

_"My sister. She's watching me and Aunt Paula. She's a big girl so Mommy says its okay as long as we don't go in the woods."_

_"Can I talk to your sister?" Athena shut the door and he could hear her yelling behind it._

_" Autty! Man at the door for you!…… No I don't' know who he is….. He's old…. But he's nice and has a really cool car!….. Just come talk to him….. I'll scream!" The door was jerked open and wiping her hands on an apron tied around her waist was a girl about ten maybe even twelve. John had decided long ago he wasn't a very good judge of age, especially when they got to this point where the kids were starting to hit puberty and could look several years older than they really were without causing any worry._

_"Hello, sir." The girl pushed her hair back off her shoulders. She didn't look much like her sister. Athena had a sweet round face of a small child, Autty's face had already lost its child-ish appeal. Instead of long blonde locks carefully pulled back in a braid Autty's hair was the color of a new penny and hung lose framing her face._

_"Hi. I'm John Winchester." the girl cut him off._

_"Get to the point. What are you selling? If it's a religion I go to church every Sunday and so does the rest of the household so you should just sell elsewhere." John looked down at Athena and when the older girl caught this she swept her sister behind her. "Get on with it before I fetch the gun."_

_"You're uncle he died in the woods. I'm a hunter myself I was looking to see if you knew what had killed him so I would know what to kill." Autty folded her arms across her chest._

_"You and every other half wit with a gun and free weekend." she remarked._

_"It was the Indian ghosties." Athena said pushing her sister out of the way._

_"Really? Did you see them?"_

_"Yep! Autumn and I were in the woods when it happened. So was Daddy."_

_"Athena!" the older girl scolded grabbing her sister by the shoulder and spinning her around. "I've told you before we don't tell strangers about how our uncle died."_

_"But you said to always tell the truth. No matter how bad or strange it is." the younger girl argued._

_'"I also told you to take a bath last night but you didn't listen to that. Go draw Paula a picture. Maybe it'll cheer her up." Autumn gave her sister a shove deeper into the house. "I'm sorry about her. You know how little kids can be with their stories." John nodded stepping to the side so the penny haired girl could see his sons in the car._

_"I know exactly how they can be. But she doesn't seem to believe this is just a story." Autumn shrugged._

_"The other hunters are after a deer. The papers are all saying that a large buck attacked my family and that my uncle died trying to buy my sister and I time. If you want a hunt go bag a deer. But sir, with all due respect, you'll never be able to kill the truth." _

_"What is the truth?" Autumn stepped out on to the porch shutting the door behind her._

_"The truth is my uncle and father are idiots. They were building Athena and I a club house out in the woods. Because the second Josh shows interest in a tree fort they just must start construction while they had two kids begging for one for years. But that's not what killed him. They were digging around out there, God only knows why, and stumbled upon an unmarked grave. I looked it up. The clothes suggest that it was one of the local tribes of Indians. But who listens to a girl? Instead of calling in the officials or reburying the poor thing they scooped it into a garbage bag and tossed it in the pond. Then they take Squirt and I out there. Low and behold a couple see through Indians are standing out there on their 'construction site'. The ingenious men try and scare them off and one of the ghost's lets lose an arrow. Dad told me to get Athena and get back to the house, so I grabbed her and ran. When he came back out my uncle was over his shoulder. He made me dig out the arrow; Denis was already dead. By the time we were done it looked like he had been gored." Autumn closed her eyes and leaned over the railing. "Now would you like the grown-up's version? Because I won't tell you that one."_

_"No, but can I talk to your dad?" Autumn sighed and produced a walkie-talkie from her pocket, holding down the button she started her transmission._

_"Hey, Dad there's a guy here for you."_

_"Your dad's under the John right now what do you need, Sunshine?" came a boy's voice back._

_"Ha ha, Joshy. So very funny, remind me to hit you for that later."_

_"Fine, I won't call you Sunshine any more. It's just you have such a sunny personality." Autumn rolled her eyes at the device in her hand. "I see why you're beating boys off with sticks and all. I mean every boy wants a girl who can't keep her nose out of a book."_

_"Josh, I swear if you don't put my father on here right now I'm going to tie you up like I do the calves and castrate you." John grinned. The girl had a lot of fight in her, he could only imagine what she'd do to Dean._

_"Like I said Daddy's under the John Deere, stupid thing broke down again. What's going on anyway?" Josh asked._

_"There is a man here. He wants to talk to Dad."_

_"Where is here?" John heard worry spike the boys voice causing it to squeak._

_"The house dummy."_

_"Good Lord! Autumn, someone needs to take you out behind the shed! You let a man in the house? Mr. Daemon" the transmission was cut short then a man's voice came on. "I'm on my way in, babe."_

_"Thanks." John said looking towards his car. Sammy had his nose pressed against the glass, watching the cattle in the pasture that ran the length of the drive. Dean on the other hand had his eyes glued on his father and the girl. Mentally noting every movement as if it would be on a quiz in the future._

_"Don't mention it. Don't worry either. I'll cool him down before he starts swingin' . That's the problem with hiring your daughter's friends to work for you. They over react to every minor infraction. You only have the two boys?" Autumn nodded to the car._

_"Yea, the little one is Sammy, the other is Dean." Autumn jumped up on the railing as if mounting a horse._

_"Sammy's cute. I like the name Dean, though. Don't hear about a lot of Dean's around here. Well, that's a lie. Jimmy Dean. Old man Recker is always going on about how he's losing money because folks can buy sausages in the store now. But, honestly they're not as good as his. If you're in town a while you'll have to get some. How old is Sammy?" John had always wanted a daughter. Something cute and frilly that would always need him and call him 'Daddy' but talking to this girl was quickly ebbing away at that old dream._

_"He's six."_

_"Same as Athena. Just a hunch but Dean's what, four years older?" _

_"How'd you know?"_

_"Because I am too."_

_"Papa Bear just went over the ridge, you better hide Naughty Autty." Josh's voice came back over the walkie-talkie. _

_"He'll be here by the time you count to one hundred. Just watch." In his head John started counting to a hundred and sure enough as he got to 99 the girl's father appeared around the corner. "Told ya." the girl grinned. "Hey Daddy!"_

_"Autumn, get in the house." her father ordered. John took in the man, his arms were thick and muscled, and his body soaked in sweat._

_"Joshy was over reacting. I didn't let Mr. Winchester in. I just talked to him here on the porch."_

_"I don't care. Which ever one of you answered the door needs to get a switch and get out back." John watched Autumn ready to see her sell her sister down the river. The girl jumped off the porch, and ran to the nearest tree braid swinging wildly she stopped at his car though. _

_"Nice wheels Mr. Winchester." she smiled sending him a wink. They both knew she was going to take a switching for her sister. Autumn turned her attention to the boys with in the car waving at them before monkey climbing her way into the tree._

_"Good girl you have there." John tried to smooth down ruffled feathers._

_"I know. What do you want?" the man was relentless._

_"Permission to hunt in your woods." John heard Autumn hit the ground and take off running and from the corner of his eye he saw her pull up her sundress to get better speed._

_"You and every other hunter. Leave the damn deer alone."_

_"I'm not after a deer, sir. I'm after what killed your brother." The man froze and John knew he'd hit a cord._

_end flashback_

"After that we just talked for a while until he invited us in for dinner." John finished. Dean was fighting sleep slouched down in his chair. The entire time he'd kept one hand on Autumn. John had to wrestle thoughts about Mary from his head. Now wasn't the time or the place. His kids needed him, all four of them. "I'm going to go take a piss. You need anything?"

"Like what a urinal cake?" Dean shot half hearted.

"Get some sleep, son." Dean just nodded and watched his father leave.

"You said she had nasty burns you didn't say she was a nasty burn." Sage scolded Athena as she examined Autumn. The Winchester men had all dropped back to chairs in the corner. Out of sight, out of the line of fire. But Athena stood right next to the woman, answering any and every question and taking every insult in stride.

"Well, there are areas that didn't get burned." Athena offered.

"Yea, private areas. I can't believe she walked out." Athena beamed with pride while Sage shook her head.

"She had good reasons."

"Yea, she should never have been in there. I would have killed the boy the first time he hit me. Not try to marry him then when things go south leave him to marry my friend." Sage turned and started rummaging through her carpet bag.

"This isn't Billy-Jack's fault."

"My ass! Was it or was it not his wife and his kids she went into save. Hell, bet she even went after him didn't she?"

"She pulled him out of his shock, yes." Athena allowed. "But she couldn't just leave him. He's got a family."

"And when she was his family what did he do to her?" Sage pressed.

"We still are his family. Meaning he is our family. Which means we can't in our right minds leave him to die in a burning house."

"But you can leave your sister?" Athena's jaw dropped. Sam thought she was going to hit Sage for a split second, just before the storm in her eyes dispersed.

"I was getting the children out. I was doing what she told me. She knew the sacrifice she may or may not of been making and she made it. So don't you dare put this on me."

"You've come along way since Will." Sage smirked.

"I had to. You either learn to live with all of life or bury yourself in a two room shack in the middle of no where and shit in a wood box over a hole." Athena zinged the older woman.

"I've done what I see fit. I don't have to justify that to you." she came out of her bag with a container of salve. "Now this should work."

Sage set immediately to applying the ointment. It seemed to take years for her to smother all the burns and re-wrap them. John and Sam went out to get a motel room for the five of them. Dean wasn't supposed to have been released but had been on the agreement he'd stay in the hospital. When Sage finished her treatment she sat by Autumn's bedside holding her hand and working over the rosary.

"Miss Daemon, you've got a call. You can take it right there." a nurse said poking her head in the room.

"Who is it?" Athena asked.

"Billy-Jack Morton."

"Oh okay." Athena walked over to the wall next to Autumn's bed and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Athena, hey. How is she?" he sounded so small and nervous it would have been hard to imagine his temper if she didn't know it so well.

"Stable. But no change." she answered. He sighed.

"The kids are wrecked. They want to see her."

"Don't bring them. Not until she wakes up. They don't need to see her like this."

"How bad is it?" Athena closed her eyes and tried to remember her sister with skin and hair and happy.

"Its not good. She got third degree burns to her arms, hands, and face. Some second degree on her stomach and lower back. Her legs look awful where she was walking through the fire. No one can believe she just walked out." Athena sank into the nearest chair.

"Yea, I still can't believe any of it happened. I had to spend the day planning a funeral for my wife and son. Her parents won't come up said she got herself into this mess she can get herself out. Athena, they're so real." he was starting to sound lost and distant.

"Whose so real?" she asked.

"My daughters. I have three little girls. Three little lives that depend on me for… for everything. It's, I don't know, it's terrifying but at the same time such a rush." Athena smiled.

"Yea, and you've missed that for five years. You had a son and wife too, but you missed out on them. You had Autumn but you really messed that up." Dean threw her a look only having caught half the conversation.

"Call me when she wakes up. I've got a lot to make up for. I've got six years. Did you know we were just two days from saying 'I do' when I put her through a wall? How could I do that?" he wasn't quiet there and Athena knew it.

"You did worse with less reason."

"Oh God, why didn't anyone stop me?" he was breaking down in tears now. Athena heard someone come in the room then the phone went dead.

"Well, I've seen some strange things in my day but that takes the cake." Athena hung up the phone.

"What did he want?" Dean didn't try to hide the contempt in his voice.

"To check on Autumn." she shrugged. "A little late but, yea."

"He don't deserve to know."

Dean didn't leave Autumn's side that night. John just managed to convince Athena to leave her side by promising he'd stay. That was when Dean volunteered to stay. Sage applied her salve three times a day and spent a lot of time praying. Whenever possible John would drag them all back to the motel but that didn't happen often. Sleeping and eating became over rated affairs. The first 48 hours passed by quickly and then the doctors really started paying attention to Autumn. Athena and Sam were asleep on the floor by Autumn's bed and Sage had wandered off again when Dean looked up.

"So did we get along that first trip?"

"Yea, I thought you did. But when Autumn told it, it sounded a little different. I guess you hit it off from the start."

FLASHBACK

_"No, Athena. You're doing that backward here." Autumn leaned over her sister and moved the silverware to the proper position. _

_"Why does it matter?" Sammy asked. Autumn turned around to look at the little boy._

_"I'm not sure exactly. But my mother says if you can't set a proper table you'll never get a proper husband. Teenie, why do we need a proper husband?" Autumn asked moving out from between the two younger children._

_"Because we are girls and Mommy and Daddy can't have more kids. It is our duty to up hold the morals and standards of our family and to secure the farm, that has nourished and protected us, for later generations." the younger girl sighed. _

_"You've brainwashed your sister?" Dean asked leaning his chair back on two legs._

_"Four on the floor, Mr. Winchester. And for the record I didn't do the brainwashing. That's just one of those things that has been passed down since some great, great something grandfather immigrated and bought the farm."_

_"It's Dean." Autumn shrugged._

_"So?"_

_"So, don't call me Mr. Winchester. I'm not old." Dean protested. _

_"Athena, I'll finish the table why don't you go get washed up?" Autumn looked away from the rude little boy ruining her mother's chair to her sister._

_"Why? I don't want to." Athena whined._

_"Because you need to." Autumn took a motherly tone._

_"But."_

_"Yes, butt that's what I'm going to beat if you don't get out of here." she took an exaggerated step toward her sister who giggled and ran off._

_"Do I need to wash my hands too?" Sammy asked shoving his hands in his brother's face._

_"Yea, Sam go follow the midget." Sam grinned and took off after Athena._

_"You've got yours trained well." Autumn teased._

_"He's not a dog." Dean defended his brother._

_"No, you're a dog. He's cute, more like a puppy." Autumn danced out of the dining room into the kitchen. Dean followed protesting all the way. She enlisted his help to bring the pots and platters to the table. She pulled a loaf of bread out of the oven and slid a batch of cookies in._

_ "Chocolate chip?" he asked watching her. _

_"The little ones should be cleaned up by now. I'm going to go check them. Might as well show you where the bathroom is while I'm at it. So you hunt with your dad?" _

_"Yea, a little." John hadn't started letting his son hunt much of the bigger stuff just sit in on a few minor ghost hunts._

_"I've got a shooting range out back. Maybe after dinner we can go out and you can show me how well you shoot." Autumn suggest batting her lashes at him._

_"You have a range?"_

_"Yea, it was my project last summer. Me and a couple of my friends built it out of spare wood around our farms. I had Mr. Morton drag a round bale out and as soon as Dad shows me, I'll be able to shoot bows."_

_"But you're a girl." Autumn nodded._

_"I thought that much was obvious. Hey! Come on I'll show you my gun!" she grabbed his wrist and drug him up the stairs at the front door. There were only three ways to go left into a bedroom, right into a bedroom, or straight ahead into what looked like a little storage room. Autumn jerked him left and he was suddenly standing in horse heaven. There were horses, cowboys, and Indians all over the walls and stuffed animals and dolls smothered the bed. Autumn released him and crawled under her bed she came out with a forest green case. Unzipping it she produced a rifle four foot long. "Dean Winchester, meet Annie Oakley."_

_"You named your gun Annie Oakley?" Autumn nodded carefully handing over the gun. "She's nice. How's she shoot?"_

_" I didn't name her Annie for nothing." Dean ran his fingers over the barrel._

_"She's nice. Where's your range?" Dean asked handing back her gun._

_"Down back behind the barns. We'll have to cross the creak and streak through the little field but not too far. You can see if from the loft." She replaced the gun in its case then shoved the case under her bed. "But the guys will freak if I bring someone, so if your dad says you can go I'll call and tell them not to come over." _

_She pushed him out of her room and led him to the bathroom the door was open and they could easily see the younger two before they could even see them. Athena was trying to shut the water off in the bathtub, that was overflowing, while Sam stood on the toilet lid singing "Row Row Row Your Boat". Water poured over the edge of the bathtub and soaked the floor. The older two exchanged looks of horror. _

_"Athena what are you doing!?!" Autumn rushed in shutting off the water._

_"You said to get cleaned up." both of the younger kids announced._

_"Yes, wash your hands." Dean picked his brother up and sat him in the hall._

_"Dean sit Athena out too please. Then there are towels in the closet behind you." Athena reached her arms out to Dean who swung her out then where she hugged Sam._

_"I thought we were going to drown!" she giggled. Dean pulled towels out of the closet and threw them at Autumn who quickly started sopping up the water. _

_"Kids, go downstairs dinner is ready. Tell Mom and Dad and Mr. Winchester we'll be down in a minute. That I took Dean up to see my gun." Athena nodded._

_"Race ya!" She shouted just before she and Sam took off like a shot._

_"Well, they're happy at least." Dean sighed reaching for a towel to soak up water around the sink. Autumn laughed and sat up to release the water in the bathtub. "Seriously, we move a lot Sam don't make a lot of friends."_

_"Most the people around here had kids at the same time. Not many little ones. Beside that she usually would rather play copy cat." they wrung out their towels and Autumn stuck them in the washer as the passed the laundry room. She put a finger to her lips. "Shhhh No one will ever know." she said. _

_FLASHBACK ENDS HERE_

When his dad started talking about the four begging to go out back and shoot Dean started remembering things. He hadn't been able to remember much of what had gone on the first time he met the girls. A vague idea of everything, put him in an awkward place when Autumn and Athena jumped into some tale of their youths' meeting. Dean leaned back in his chair. It was good to know how they really met and that even back then they'd gotten along. Though he'd doubted if they hadn't gotten long Autumn and Athena would have been so pleased with the idea of working together.

Sage returned and unwrapped Autumn to smother her in salve. Dean watched amazed as Autumn's skin hungrily soaked up the salve leaving nothing on its surface except a gloss. Already her burns looked better than his. Sage's fingers worked nimbly. Not a single movement was accidental. He had to wonder what it was that made her lose her license if she was so skilled in her doctoring.

"It was a hunter." Sage said as if reading his mind. "He was impossibly stubborn, though I now think that's one of the requirements for the job, but for all the hell he put me through he was amazing. Just great." she sighed and wrapped Autumn's left arm back before gently peeling back the bandages covering the young woman's chest. "I guess I fell in love with him, which was painfully foolish. One day he comes dragging in in about a million different pieces. I quickly set to stitching him back together. I didn't tell anyone what I was doing at home. Even when the infection started. I stole materials and medications from the hospital I worked at and continued to treat him. Right up until one of my nurses caught me. I thought, I'd dealt with her. I get home the next night and the police were in the driveway and I saw squad taking my hunter out on a stretcher with a sheet over his face." she never looked up at him never really showed she knew anyone else was in the room. "By the time everything settled down I didn't have my medical license, my house, or my life. So I took what little I did have and got a little bitty shack where no one would ever find me. But leave it to Supernatural hit men to hunt me out. I started doing this for a living. Hunters come, and I either patch them up at my house or they take me to a friend who needs work. I went from using shiny, sanitary, tools and high tech machines to a needle and thread normally used to make a quilt or fix a whole in a pair of jeans, and whiskey to dull the pain."

"Can't you get your license back?" Dean asked. His father had drifted off to dreamland, his head lolling down to rest on his chest, and drool beginning to creep down his chin.

"Yes, but I'd have to go back to school. If I did that I would be able to do this, which is what I really enjoy. Even if it means I have to get a little dirty, the rewards are endless."

Dean knew the feeling. Hunting was dirty, nasty, challenging business but he wouldn't trade it for the world. Because at the end of the day when everything was said and done he'd helped someone. He'd given some kid a chance to grow up with a mommy and daddy who love him. Allowed a woman to feel safe again and just maybe saved a man's life. This was the part of firefighting that had captured his imagination as a child. You got to do something that made the blood pulse and you got to save people doing it.

A nurse came in just before third shift, came in. She changed Autumn's IV bag, and filled the line with another round of medications to dull the pain and keep her knocked out. The nurse seemed to cling to the room. There was something she wanted to say. Something that might prove helpful. Instead she hovered until the nurse in charge demanded she finish her rounds. When the next shift came in the same nurse came back, her purse hung from her shoulder and heavy winter coat was draped over her arm.

"The doctors, have been talking." she announced. Sage and Dean both watched her. Athena, Sam, and John slept on and for a long moment the only sound besides their soft snores was Autumn's heart monitor. "She's healing quickly. Faster than any patient they've ever had with this extent of injury. They want to give it another couple of days, before they tell you. But as long as she starts breathing on her own, she'll be good as new." The nurse grabbed for her chocolate ponytail, her fingers knotted nervously through the hair. "The other nurses don't really believe it, but I do. Dr. Deirks says her recovery thus far is due to the fact that she knows she's got such a great support team." she smiled then turned and left. Dean closed his eyes and drooped deeper into his chair. That was the perfect ending to a long boring day of watching Autumn do nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry about how long it's taken to get this chapter up. But I got a little bored with it. Writing about sitting in a hospital bored out of your gored isn't fun. But here we have chapter four all the same and the pace should pick up now.**

**Chapter Four**

The on call doctor for third shift came and informed them that all but one member of their party was going to have to leave, and again Dean stayed. Though, tonight he actually got some sleep. He was too tired to stay awake. As soon as visiting hours started the next morning John and Sage were back. He sent Dean to get his arms taken care of then told his son to go to the motel and get some real sleep in a real bed. Dean, Sam, and Athena all slept well past noon, the past few days of little sleep and little to eat finally taking their toll. Athena called the hospital when they woke up and John told them to go out for lunch, get real food in their bellies before they came in.

Something about hospitals makes life seem very short. Death becomes this inevitable thing that you'll never be able to deceive or escape. So to keep this off your mind you begin the most pointless conversations. Sam, Athena, and Dean had already covered the personal lives of the nurses, doctors, and occasional janitors that they had frequent contact with, what they would do with any given super powers, and how horrible cartoons had gotten since the simplistic days of Bugs, Pink Panther, and Spy VS Spy. Now they'd moved on to which hospital based TV show was the best.

"General Hospital is just annoying." Athena dismissed the nomination. "I like ER better. It had everything: gross shots of blood, guts, and gore, romance, and compelling story line… and Dr. Carter certainly helped while he was on."

"Grey's Anatomy kicks ER's ass." Sam countered.

"I couldn't ever watch it." Athena admitted.

"Why?" Dean asked only pretending to care about the conversation.

"That heart transplant guy,"

"Denny?" Sam interrupted.

"Yea, I guess. He always reminded me of someone I just couldn't put a finger on who it was the guy reminded me of. Every time I saw the show I thought of the guy and it would drive me crazy the rest of the night."

"Well, that don't matter anyway," Dean told them. "Because House MD takes the cake."

"House?" Sam questioned "why is that?"

"First Cameron is one smoking babe. Second House is the best doctor on television. He's sarcastic, and ingenious." Dean explained. The other two rolled their eyes and prepared for the silence that would follow the end of this conversation. It didn't take long before Dean was drumming his fingers against the wooden arm of his chair.

"Dean, I swear if you beat out that song again I'll have to kill you." Athena said tossing a pen at him.

"Then do you have any requests?"

"Take This Job and Shove It, Johnny Paycheck." Dean started pounding out the tune. When he finished he gave a mock bow.

"Thank you. Thank you."

"That was too easy." Sam slid down in his chair trying to think of a song that would be harder finger drum.

"I'm going to die." Athena said slumping down in her chair. "I can't wait any longer. Can't we just shake her awake or take her home or something?"

"Sure, but she can't breath on her own so we'd just be killing her." Dean told her.

"We forgot Scrubs." Sam announced. Both of the rooms other conscious occupants looked at him.

"What?" they asked in usion

"Scrubs, it's another hospital show. But it's more of a comedy than the other shows."

The conversation teetered on the brink of oblivion for hours after that. Again that night John took Sage, Sam, and Athena back to the motel leaving his first born to watch over their fallen comrade. He drifted in and out of sleep shifting restlessly in his chair, feet propped up on another chair. At one point, he considered climbing into the hospital bed with Autumn, it had to be more comfortable than sleeping sitting up right. But every little noise jarred him awake so comfort wasn't a very big worry. Even if he found it he wouldn't be able to keep it long. Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning just before dawn he woke to gagging. The dim lighting of the room allowed him to see Autumn struggling to breath past the tube down her throat. It seemed to take a millennia for the meaning of this gagging to hit him. When he finally realized she was trying to breath he was out of the room like a shot.

Nurses were in the room buzzing around. Removing the respirator. Putting her on O2. One checked vitals and another stood a long phone cord wrapped around her body as she explained to the on call doctor what was going on. Dean wasn't sure how he'd gotten to the far corner of the room. He sat silent watching the activity an unnamable flutter in his chest. When the nurses finally left, leaving him with the instructions to watch her breathing, he reclaimed his seat at Autumn's bed side. He wanted to call his family and Sage but didn't want to wake them and have them come in just to watch Autumn do the same thing she'd been doing the last few days.

Dr. Morgan was in at six that morning. The moment he heard about the amazing twenty-something girl who had been caught in a fire, then encountered complications during her first few minutes of care in the hospital, had started breathing on her own, he had to go see for himself. He'd been assigned her floor for the day anyway. Dr. Morgan was delighted to talk with the girl's night time protector.

"Now that she's breathing on her own, I want to ease her out of her coma." Dr. Morgan explained watching the boy's face. He was digging at the burns on his arms.

"How long will that take?" his eyes worked worriedly over the girl.

"Sir, the medications will take most of the day to wear off. Even then she'll be tired. It might not be until tomorrow evening that she's able to carry on a conversation." The boy clenched his jaw, he was obviously trying to hold back a rush of questions and emotions. Dr. Morgan wondered briefly what his relation to Miss Daemon was.

"What about memory loss? How much damage was done to her brain while she was dead?" the young man had a good question.

"I don't know. We'll have to wait on her tell that. There could be nothing at all or when she wakes up she might have no memory at all or worse." Dr. Morgan said.

"What do I do?"

"Just sit here and wait. When she starts coming around talk to her. Let her know she's not alone. If you have any further questions just ask for me at the nurses desk. Now, I have other patients to see."

"Thank you." Dr. Morgan went on his way to see to the rest of his patients.

"Why didn't you call?" Athena asked. She was going through a bag she'd packed for Autumn.

"There was nothing for you to do. I thought, you'd like to sleep." Dean yawned.

"Son, go back to the motel and get some shut eye. I'll call if she wakes up and wants you." John instructed his first born.

"Yes, sir." Sam tossed Dean the keys to his car. "If anything changes"

"We'll call you boy. Now go. Rest, before you fall down." Sage scolded. Athena offered him a weak smile.

"You want someone to drive you? You look like you're about to collapse." the younger Daemon asked.

"Naw, I'll make it alright." Dean said with a shake of his head before staggering out.

"That boy of yours, John, both of them, they're just like you." Sage said setting to work.

When she first applied her salve Autumn's skin soaked it in hungrily, the way dry earth soaks in a summer shower. Now, Sage was proud to say, Autumn's skin didn't need it as much. She was amazed with how quickly the younger woman heeled. It meant the girl had fight in her. That was invaluable for people in Autumn's line of work. Sage generously smeared on the cream, careful not to goop too much in any one area. Too much and the skin would be overwhelmed not enough and it would scar the way doctors were leaving it to do. No, Sage was much better at what she was doing than any doctor. She had studied ways of heeling that led to minimal scarring. Autumn would be scarred but not half as badly as she would have been had Sage not come to her aid.

"Is that a good thing?" John asked merely for conversation's sake.

"I don't know. It is one of the few things I'll admit to not knowing. You are stubborn. You are obsessive. You don't consider others feelings. But your heart is always in the right place. Every mistake you've ever made has been in the name of a good cause." Sage humored him.

"I think the world would be better off with more Winchesters." Athena spoke up.

"You're just smitten and don't want to admit it. Even to yourself." Sage dismissed her remark.

"That's kind of you, Barbie." John smiled at her.

"The nurses think they're married." Sage announced not looking up from her work.

"Who?" Sam asked interest spiking his voice. There had been far too little to talk since Autumn was admitted.

"Knot head and Extra Crispy." Sage told him. "He wears that stupid ring, has to be ordered to leave to get rest. They assume he has her ring somewhere, that it was removed when she came in."

"Dean knows better." John moved to the window over looking the Ohio river. Dean may have known better and so did Autumn but neither had ever let knowing better stop them from doing anything.

"Just what the nurses are saying. They're all finding it very romantic. Poor things are starved for a good romance. But you try and find something attractive about a man after you've changed diapers and bed pans and done a few dozen sponge bathes all day. You can only take so much before you fall into living in fantasies like a teenage girl." Sage said wiping the back of her gloved hand across her forehead. "Shouldn't be too long 'till Mouth here is up and at 'em again."

"I don't know that she'll want to keep hunting after this." John said leaning into the window's frame.

"Don't worry, John. She'll be fighting the good fight until there's nothing left to fight or nothing left of her." Athena assured the man.

"Stubborn. Everyone you spend half a day with, John, gets twice as stubborn as they were to start with." Sage mumbled.

"She hates hospitals. Autumn won't be happy waking up here." Athena hugged herself, in effort to fight off all the bad memories of her mother's sickness.

"She'll understand, Teenie. Wouldn't she rather be alive and in the hospital then dead?" Sam asked. Athena shook her head.

"I seriously doubt it."

When dinner rolled around John stayed to watch over Autumn while the others went to get Dean and a bite to eat. When they 'd get back Dean would take over the night shift and everyone else would go back to the motel for another night's fitful sleep. Promise that she'd soon awake would keep them all on edge. When the nurse came in to clean Autumn up, and give her medications John left to get a cup of the brown water that passed for coffee. If it wasn't for the fact that he'd been standing in Autumn's room all day he wouldn't have gone at all, but a short walk would, if nothing else, get him out of the room.

Autumn felt like she'd been hit by a bus. Everything hurt, and her brain felt like it had been wrapped up in a warm, fuzzy blanket. Her eyelids weighed a ton and seemed to take years to open. At first she had no idea where she was, the entire world was blurred and out of proportion. But the steady beeping made her heart skip a beat, she mustn't have gotten out of the fire alright. A short brunet woman in sunshine yellow scrubs leaned over her with a smile that belonged on toys.

"Good Evening sleeping beauty." the nurse said reaching for her chart. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been to hell and back." Autumn answered trying to sit up but the nurse clucked her tongue and her body shook with pain. "Oh and would you believe my arm is going to kill me?" the nurses smile never faded.

"Do you know who you are?" Autumn almost laughed.

"I'm Autumn Aura Daemon, my parents are deceased. My only living blood relative is Athena Rhea Daemon, my baby sister." The nurse nodded.

"Do you know what year this is?"

"Depends on how long I've been out. But I'm going to go with 2006."

"Good. Good, how about why you're here?" Autumn took a deep breath her throat ached from talking.

"There was a fire. OH God! Martha! Are they okay? The kids and Martha? What about Athena and Sam? Dean got Nick out alright didn't he?" the nurse laid her hand gently on Autumn's arm.

"Sam, Dean, and Athena will be back in a little while. They'll tell you what happened." Autumn knew what that meant. Martha and the kids were all dead. It was astonishing how quickly the fog in her head cleared. She no longer felt any pain. She reached for her IV she had to get out of here. She had to go call John, he'd know what to do. She had to apologize. This was all her fault. "Miss, you need to calm down. It's not your fault." Autumn came to a halt.

"What do you mean it's not my fault!?" panic was taking grip. How did the nurse know what she thought?

"Because you're yelling it." The nurse soothed. Autumn swallowed hard trying to force her emotions down. She had to calm down.

"They're all gone! How could I have left them!? I should never have left. None of this would have happened! I've got to get out of here!" She ripped out her IV and started for the other cords, wires, and tubes running to her body. She was done. Nurse Sunshine tried to stop her and she found some stored up strength to push her back. "You don't understand, Nursey I can't be here."

The room flooded with nurses and a couple of doctors when the heart monitor flat lined. Autumn kept up her fight. Unsure and uncaring where the strength came from. She just kept going. At the first sight of weakness they'd have her down and she knew it. Doctors were bad. They killed people then billed them for it. A needle was produced from somewhere and she smacked it away. Going against all of the state laws and guidelines the medical staff tried to manhandle Autumn back into her bed.

"Autumn, that's enough." he didn't have to yell it. He didn't have to put a huge force behind his words. All John had to do was simply speak and Autumn stopped moving. She just went completely limp in the staff's arms. "Let them hook you back up and stop fighting them."

"Yes, sir." Autumn didn't move at all while the nurses reattached the heart monitor and found a new vein to insert the IV. "Did everyone make it out alive?" she asked once the nurses had finally cleared out.

"No." John stated it as if stating that the capital of the US was Washington DC. He put no emotion in it. Did nothing to betray his disappointment in her.

"Who didn't make it out?" her voice shook and tears threatened to fall.

"Martha and the baby." again no emotion. No nothing. Autumn broke down. Salty tears stung against her burnt flesh. "Autumn, don't cry." he moved to sit in her bed and she quickly collapsed into his chest. "It's okay. They're… Everyone… Things will be okay." he didn't know how to ease her pain. None of it sounded right. Everyone wasn't fine. There was no way of telling the Martha and the baby had made it to a better place. The baby could easily come back. He had a violent death. Martha, there was nothing left of her but John knew that there were still other ways that she could be around. Other ways that would keep her from moving on to anything, better or worse.

"John, it's not fair. They didn't do anything." Autumn sobbed into his chest and he ran a hand in circles on her back, fearful of causing more pain or damage to her charred flesh.

"I know. I know." He at least knew better than to say that nothing in life was fair. Or that a no one the demon has targeted thus far has done anything.

"I should never have left Billy-Jack. Then Martha would still be alive." Autumn pulled away from him and looked into his eyes with a grim determination. She was dead sure of herself.

"But you wouldn't be." she pressed the meaty part of her palm into her eyes. "If the demon didn't get you Billy-Jack would have killed you by now." he watched as she took shattering breathes.

"Are the girls okay? Did they make it out?"

"Yea, Athena said they're pretty shaken up."

"Of course they are. Billy-Jack, he made it out right? They weren't orphaned were they?" John shook his head.

"No, he made it out."

"Why couldn't he have been pinned to the ceiling? He don't deserve to be alive." John was shocked. She'd spoken about Billy-Jack several times but never once wished ill intent to him. "What about Athena and your boys? Dean wouldn't leave, God tell me he got out of there."

"They're no worse for the wear." Autumn slumped down in her bed.

"I'm so tired. How long have I been out?"

"A few days."

"Will I be okay?" she really didn't seem to care. It was more like she just wanted all the facts before she wrote herself off.

"Yea, Athena and Sam went and got Sage. She's put you back together."

"I'm sorry." she yawned. "I shouldn't have acted like that. I shouldn't have tried to leave without someone." her eyes closed and he knew he had lost her to sleep.

Athena was upset to have missed her sister's return to reality. It took a lot of convincing and finally Dean took her out in the hall and the pair shared a few words before she'd go back to the motel. Sage didn't say anything to Autumn, that night before John turned in she handed him her jar of salve and instructions on how Autumn should go about using it. The next morning she and all her things were gone. Sam and Athena were both gone by the time John woke up the next morning. A box of donuts and a cold cup of coffee sat with a note.

"Gone to see Autumn. Dean just called and she's awake. Enjoy your breakfast. Much love Athena" John shook his head grabbing a donut and flipping on the morning news.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: The next chapter will be longer promise! Much thanks to Poisinchick88! You're the greatest! If any readers want to a good read I suggest Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing. It's proving to be a tasty morsel. But first plz R&R here. You have to finish what you start, hasn't John taught you anything young hunters?**

.**Chapter Five**

"That would explain the bug zapper." Autumn said with a half hearted grin.

"Bug zapper?" Sam asked. Autumn nodded.

"Yea, I dreamed I was flying into this light and I knew that if I did I would die but at the same time I couldn't stop." she explained.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't get zapped then." Dean said rolling Autumn's breakfast tray up to her bed.

"I'm not completely broken you know." she teased as Dean unwrapped all her foods. "E Gads! This doesn't even look edible." she turned her nose up to the soupy oatmeal and orange juice.

"It's not that bad, Sis." Athena bounced onto the bed and put a spoonful of the oatmeal into her mouth. "Oh its shit! It's really truly shit." Athena said after spitting the food out into a napkin.

"That's so lady like." Sam teased.

"Oh bite me." Athena shot back. "This isn't food. Where's the cook?"

"Don't worry about it I'm not hungry." Autumn said pushing her tray away. "You can even have my orange juice. I don't like it pulpy and I see pulp… or floaters in it."

"You have to eat." Dean said taking his big brother tone.

"I'm not four. If I don't want to eat I'm not going to eat."

"You haven't eaten anything solid in four days. You have to eat Autumn." Dean pressed further.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"You can't make me." Autumn challenged.

"Do you really want to go there?" Dean asked. Sam and Athena were fighting off fits of laughter watching their older siblings argue like a couple of six year olds.

"Oh I'm going there." the sass in Autumn's voice was comical when taking in the fact that she was wrapped up like a mummy, wearing a paper thin hospital gown, had burnt copper hair that looked like a bad wig, and could barely speak above a whisper from having the breathing tube down her throat.

"Fine." Dean got a spoon full of the oatmeal and pinched Autumn's nose. It didn't take long before she opened her mouth and he shoved the spoon in. "See not so bad." Autumn spit it back in his face.

"You're right, Teen, it does taste like shit." Athena laughed.

"It's good to have you back, Naughty Autty. I'm going to the vending machine want anything?" Autumn considered the offer for a minute.

"Yea, Reese Cups please and thank you. Oh and did you bring me anything to wear that isn't… paper?"

"Yea." Athena hopped up and grabbed a small duffle bag. "You've got a few things in there. Mostly stuff that won't touch your burns." Autumn cocked an eye brow.

"Like what?"

"Shorty shorts, and little white tank tops."

"Is Deirks Bentley in there too?"

"You wish." Athena handed over the bag.

"Shucks. Just when you think you're going to get it all."

"He's married isn't he?" Autumn shrugged.

"Go get my candy, and take Puppy and Dad with you." Autumn ordered jokingly unzipping the bag and fishing out an outfit. "Oh I've never been so happy to see you before!" she exclaimed pulling out a pair of panties. "I'll never leave home with out you." she hugged the underwear.

"Lets get out of here before she starts making out with those." Athena said wandering off into the hall.

"Hey kiddo." Autumn looked up as John walked in. "You look better." after the others had left a nurse helped her into her black shorts and a white tank top, and then cut her hair to look semi normal. She felt a lot better too.

"That's what happens when you wake up from a coma."

"Well, they were right you're just like you were."

"Minus some skin?"

"And hair." John added.

"I'm not too worried about the hair. I don't have to shave for a while. That's a huge time saver." she was trying to sound happy and normal, but she was still reeling from Martha and Nick's deaths.

"I'll leave that to you. So, you hear about being released?" he asked.

"No, the nurse said she'd have a doctor into talk to me later." John nodded and sat down.

"You going to take time off?"

"Nope. He's not stopping so why should I?" she asked.

"Because it nearly killed you."

"And you don't want to see me die, in your war. Blah blah blah. John, this isn't your war. This is my war. This is Sam, Dean, and Athena's war. This is a war for every hunter everywhere. We're all involved. We all need to work together on this one. This demon is so much bigger than us. So much stronger than us. We will keep getting beat down unless we all work together."

"I know but, you don't need to be in the fighting."

"Why not? Isn't that what I've been saying from day one? That I wanted to be in this all the way?" John didn't answer her and for a long time neither of them said anything. "He said to tell you hi." she 'd dropped her head and wasn't looking up at anyone in the room.

"Who said?" she didn't have to look up to see that Dean had just stiffened up and Sam got his heartbreaking worried look in his puppy dog eyes.

"The demon." she answered John. The air in the room sizzled with energy.

"You talked to him?" Athena asked. Her sister's voice was soaked in fear and Autumn didn't want to confirm it. "Autumn?"

"Yea, sort of. I guess."

"What did he say?" John asked gruffly.

"To tell you hi, and that what I was doing wasn't going to work. He told me before this was over we and anyone else who tried to stand in his way would burn in hell. There was a whole monologue. Basically, he did the demon mind reading thing made me feel like a ditz then used that make me piss myself." she lied. So much more happened. So much more was said. But the Winchesters and Athena were her family now. They were what mattered. They couldn't take the truth.

"You didn't believe him did you?" Dean asked. She shook her head though tears brimmed at her eyes.

"Maybe. But it's hard not to. The things he said. It makes sense." Damn him! Damn Dean. He had to make her remember what was said. The things she shouldn't believe.

"Autumn, honey, no no no." her sister climbed into her bed wrapping her pale arms around her. Athena tried to comfort her sister but failed miserably.

"What make sense?" she heard in Sam's voice the tentative fear that came from knowing what she'd been through.

"Just the things he said. The things about me being the reason this was happening to them. That it was my fault the girls weren't going to have a mother and were going to be left with an abusive father. He told me Billy-Jack would just move on to another woman. Just make someone else his victim, until his girls were old enough to take the abuse themselves."

"No!" Athena said firmly. She grabbed for the phone and started dialing the extention. "You have to talk to him. He… He's different." Dean was swift. He had the phone out of her hand and slammed back down in the time it took her to blink.

"Don't bring him in here." he said behind clenched teeth eyes locked on Athena's steel blue eyes.

"Dean!" John used his name in that warning only a parent could pull off.

"He don't need to be here. He'll only upset her." Dean said turning towards his father. Autumn brushed away her tears and forced the new ones back down. Her hand still soaked in the salty sweet tears she reached out for Dean's arm.

"Don't. I'll deal, you relax." she softened her voice barely managing to hide the raw emotions she was feeling. Dean slunk back to his chair.

"What's our next move then?" Sam asked. Autumn released a laugh and Athena echoed it.

"We only have one plan. Right?" Athena asked her gaze falling on John.

"Just the colt." John confirmed.

"There are other ways." Autumn announced. All eyes fell on her.

"What ways?" Dean asked skeptical of any so called 'way' to kill the demon.

"Ways, Dean. I don't know them but I know where to find them."

"Where?" Sam asked.

"Hello! You would be Miss Demon." A young doctor came in, his dark eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Daemon." Autumn corrected. "It means demon, but I was raised to believe in the things so I"

"I completely understand." the doctor cut her off. "Now, I understand you want released?" he didn't seem to notice that the group had been in the middle of an important conversation.

"Yes, I hate hospitals." Autumn nodded.

"Well, that's not healthy. Why don't you like them?" she read his badge, Dr. Morgan.

"Our mom died of cancer when we were kids." Athena informed the man. "Every time we came to these places the whole mess just got worse." Dr. Morgan nodded sadly.

"Yes, that does happen. But, Miss Daemon, I can assure you you're not going to die on my watch." he was too cheerful. Autumn wanted to knock him silly for how quickly he bounced from his false sadness to his grotesque cheer. How could anyone be so arrogant?

"Yes, but you're not on call 24/7 are you?" she asked him. She caught the Winchester men's proud faces from the corner of her eye.

"No, I'm not. But you're not dying." she'd brought him to a screeching halt.

"Then release me." she demanded. Athena shifted uncomfortably between the clean shaven, barer of the white coat and her sister.

"It's not that simple." he argued.

"I'm not dying?" Autumn asked.

"No."

"I'm not a danger to myself?"

"No."

"Others?" Athena moved to sit on the arm of Sam's chair.

"Well, no."

"Am I in any immediate danger than can be prevented by the good people of this hospital?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but"

"But there isn't any further reason I can think of to hold me here." the doctor flushed. She doubted he'd encountered such a persistent patient in his time wearing that ridiculous lab coat.

"Observation. You're on 48 hour observation." Dr. Morgan stammered.

"Am I?" he nodded. "Why?"

"Because your lungs collapsed, when your body reacted negatively to the medications you were given."

"You mean, wet doctor didn't look at my chart. A chart that clear states that I am allergic to most agnostics and pain killers. Anything stronger than children's Tylenol makes me see little cartoon characters."

"Your chart wasn't yet available and your sister was being treated."

"The Morton's were my legal guardians for a long while, they were in the waiting room and there was nothing wrong with my sister to prevent her from talking."

"No, there wasn't but"

"What is it with you and buts? Doctors shouldn't use that word so much. Spice it up. Use however or something."

"I don't have anything with buts." Dr. Morgan protested.

"Could have fooled me. You are aware that my treatment here gives me grounds for a lawsuit?" She was starting to enjoy this too much. She needed to back down. There wasn't call for any of this.

"I'll go get the papers drawn up."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Chapter Six**

Autumn was certain the doctor was taking forever on her papers on purpose. When the Winchesters had all disperse leaving Athena and Autumn alone, the younger woman reached for the phone. The phone conversation with Billy-Jack left her shaken and feeling more vulnerable than she'd ever felt. He was so hurt and lost in his grief she didn't know what to say to him. Her lack of direction made her break down in tears and the two blubbered on the phone. Finally he asked if he could bring the girls by and she nearly begged him to.

As if to confirm her theory about the doctor's not so clever plan to keep her in the hospital a nurse came and moved her to a new floor. Athena followed like a puppy, eager to please it's master. She knew her sister was trying to be strong enough for both of them but Autumn didn't want pity. She wanted to be back behind the wheel of her mustang the cold metal of a gun pressing against her thigh through one of the holes in her favorite jeans. A hole she'd worn there, and was proud to have earned. She wanted to be where she was in control. Autumn didn't want her sister to fake strength. She'd need the real thing soon.

Dean settled into the spare bed in Autumn's new room. Autumn had sent them all home for the night but he lingered. They both knew he had plans to stay the night but neither addressed it. Her fingers worked her call light switch. She knotted and unknotted the cord that held it to the wall. Every once in a while she'd pull it and the alarm would go off. At which point she'd spring out of bed shut it off then lean into the wall and curse. He could see tears brewing each time but they never fell. There was a new respect for her building with in him and he wanted so badly to douse it. Something about it led him to say stupid things and linger in a hospital room he despised. Again the alarm went off and she leapt from her bed.

"Aren't you taking those pills the nurse brought?" he asked as she pushed herself into the wall and bit her lip. When the pain subsided she looked up at him.

"No." she eased herself back into bed and wrapped the cord back around the railing of her bed, the way the nurse had, had it.

"Why?" he wondered.

"Why should I take meds that are going to make me think Trix and Lucky are about to show up and steal me lucky charms and take away my trix yogurt cup?"

"Yogurt makes you vomit." he reminded her. She tossed him a gentle smile.

"That's not the point. Last time I was on pain meds I shot holes in a motel wall. Because I thought the energizer bunny was going to kill me. I see things on medications." Dean shook his head.

"You've been on them all week."

"I've also only been conscious how much of that time? Dean I dreamed I was a fly going into a bug zapper that isn't normal." she ran her heeled fingers through her short cropped hair.

"I like your hair." she cocked her brow at him a cruel grin played at her lips and for a moment he thought she'd tease him. Instead the grin faded taking the glitter in her eyes with it.

"I hate it. I haven't had my hair this short since I was seven and Athena stuck an entire pack of Winterfresh in my hair." he saw her trying to catch her reflection in the window.

"It looks fine." he assured her.

"I look like a freak don't I?" since she'd poured beer in his lap at the bar all those weeks ago he hadn't heard such uncertainty in her voice.

"No, Autty. You look just fine. You are barely scarring at all. Just a little pinker than normal in most places."

"You're just saying that." she dismissed his words.

"Why do you ask my opinion if you're not going to take it?"

"This is pure hell." she groaned. Dean sighed and got up to scoot his bed closer to hers. "What on earth do you think you're doing Winchester?"

"Here." he climbed back in bed then held out his hand. "Hold this and go to sleep. Or at least stop your bitching." she was hesitant but she flicked out the light above her bed, curled on her side, and took his hand. Dean's light had never been on so he just relaxed back into his pillows and closed his eyes. He'd nearly reached dreamland when a soft voice called him back.

"Dean?"

"hmmmn" he grunted.

"Thanks." Autumn gave his hand a squeeze. "You're too good."

"You can pay me back later." he returned the squeeze and was soon rewarded with her gentle snoring. He fished his phone out of his pocket and found the record feature.

"I do not snore!" the nurses all flinched.

Billy-Jack pulled his girls closer to him. Their eyes were red and puffy, clutched in their tiny arms were the dolls they'd received a few days ago. It all seemed like a life time ago. Billy-Jack struggled to remember the good times. Times when his daughters wore smiles and sang stupid little songs about sunshine and lollypops. He woke up several times a night to a cold spot in bed next to him. He's run his fingers over the cool sheets before pushing himself out of bed. Nick wasn't around anymore so he'd check on the girls when he realized he wasn't going to find his son or wife.

"You do snore listen to this." Billy-Jack held his girls to him as they stood in the doorway. Dean was sprawled out on the foot of Autumn's bed. Sam and Athena had taken up the other one and a big burly man was tucked into a chair by the window watching the other four as if they could suddenly disappear and never come back.

"Autumn, I love you. But baby you snore." Athena said. She was trying to do Jacob's Ladder on Sam's fingers but she never had perfected the art and was just knotting the two together.

"Whatever." Autumn folded her arms across her chest and stuck out her lower lip. "You're all a bunch of ass holes."

"We might be ass holes but you love us." Athena countered.

"Red, I think you've got visitors." the big guy said nodding toward the door. Billy-Jack released his daughters who ran into the room and tackled Dean.

"UNCLE DEAN!" they screamed. Dean's arms flew up around the girls purely instinct.

"Hey! How's my girls?" he asked. Kayla hugged his neck then crawled up the bed to sit next to Autumn while Kelly settled into his lap and Kendra jumped to the next bed to sit in Sam's lap and correct her aunt's Ladder.

"Is you okay?" Kayla asked Autumn her fingers delicately playing across Autumn's bandaged arms.

"I'll be fine. Might look a little funny, but I'll make it." Autumn gave the girl a one armed hug and Billy-Jack knew it hurt her because he saw the lightening flash in her eyes. Eyes that were locked on him like a target missile. "How are you B.J.?" He screwed up his nose.

"You've not called me B.J. since we were…. In a long time." she smirked at him.

"How are you?" she repeated. The air was hostile. He could feel most of this hostility coming off Dean like stink waves in a cartoon.

"I'm managing." he lied. He never knew what he was about to do. At first he thought he could drowned it all out by drinking but his mom refused to by more beer after he went through a six-pack in a hour. Now he just watched his daughters. He didn't know how to comfort them but he could watch them. At first sign of danger he could tuck them around him and get them to safety.

"Good." she offered a weak smile.

"How 'bout you?" he watched her tentatively stretch her arms and flex her fingers.

"I'm stiff, and my heart feels like its been through a paper shredder. I haven't been able to swallow anything solid without it feeling like a bunch of razors since I woke up and Dean says I snore."

"You do snore. Used to wake me up." Billy-Jack wanted to tease her but couldn't find the umph so it ended up sounding like he was just stating the facts.

"You hear them Kayla? They're being mean to me."

"Ooo poor Aunty Autty." Kayla reached up and started running her little fingers through Autumn's hair.

"Uncle Dean, you have to be nice." Kelly said giving Dean's leg a swat.

"That's my uncle Dean." Kendra warned her sister.

"What am I chopped liver?" Sam whined teasingly.

"No, you're a hunter-man silly." Kendra patted Sam's hand.

"Teenie, who is he?" Kayla asked pointing towards the big man in the corner.

"That's Sam and Dean's dad, John." Athena said her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"So that's Grandpa John?" Kelly asked.

"Sure." John said. "And who are you little princesses?"

"I'm Kayla."

"Kelly."

"and I'm Kendra." the girls introduced themselves. "And that's our daddy, Billy-Jack." As soon as he'd heard the name Billy-Jack knew the man. John's eyes rolled over him, sizing him up, and decided how exactly to kill him.

"I know your dad." John acknowledged.

"Did you know Mommy?" John nodded.

"Yes, I knew Martha. But she was about your age last time I saw her."

"Grandma Bitch says she went far far a way." Kelly said nestling deeper into Dean's lap.

"KELLY! We don't call Grandma a bitch." her father scolded.

"Athena does." Athena blushed and bowed her head.

"Autumn, where did Mommy and Nick go?" Kayla asked. Autumn took a deep breath before she answered and everyone knew she was trying to think up what she'd been told when her own mother had died.

"Mommy and Nick went to live with God."

"At church?" Kendra asked.

"No, in heaven. But she can still see you, and is still with you." her eyes fell on each of the girls a loving gaze caressing each child. "She'll always be with you."

"How?" Kelly asked.

"Because you love her and she loves you. When we love someone they can never really leave us. If we're lucky the don't become ghosts they go off to live with God and watch over us like guardian angels. But even then if you ever need them all you have to do is close your eyes and listen to that little voice inside and you'll hear them. Sometimes it's really hard but they're always there, in your heart." Autumn's voice was quaking and she had to pause to get a hold of herself.

"Are they okay?" Kayla asked. Autumn smiled and nodded.

"You know, what? I bet they're sitting up there just fine, but they're a little sad. Do you know why?" each of the girls shook their heads. "No? Well, they're sad because you're sad. They don't want you to be sad. Because they're still with you even though you can't see them. They don't want you to be sad because they're in a good place now. A place where no one can ever hurt them again. Any problem they ever have will be solved in a half hour every week, and nothing bad really does happen." the girls seemed to like this idea.

"What does heaven look like?" Kendra asked.

"I bet it has pretty gardens like Mommy always wanted." Kelly said.

"And a humongous play room for Nick." Kayla added excitedly.

"No one knows what it really looks like. But I think it looks different for everyone. I think Mommy has huge beautiful gardens to get lost in and little Nick has all the toys and little kids he could ever want to play with. When I leave to go live there do you know what my heaven looks like?"

"What?" Kelly questioned Autumn.

"Mine looks like a big ole farm, with bunches of horsies, and moo-cows. There are rabbits that run wild and several big dogs. The house is planted in the woods and every morning if you get up just a sunrise you can see the deer drinking from the stream in the front yard." the girls giggled.

"Can I come live with you there?" Kendra asked.

"Nope, but you can come visit sometimes. But I don't want to go there for a very long time and you girls aren't going to be there for a very long time after I leave." Billy-Jack was glad to see Autumn loved the girls so much. There was something important he had to talk to her about. Something that was going to affect his life and his girls beyond words.

"Okay. Aunt Teenie, will you tell us about the Hunter King again?" Kayla asked.

"Yea, how about we go get ice cream in the cafeteria and I'll tell you girls and Dean and Sam the story too." Kayla slivered out of the bed and went to John and grabbed his hand.

"You need to come too Grandpa John." John grabbed the girl up tossing her playfully in the air.

"Then lets go. I want to hear this story." he said settling the girl into his arms. Kayla giggled gleefully, all her worries seemed forgotten.

"Will you be okay?" Dean asked hesitating before following Athena, Sam, John, and the girls out.

"Dean, go. I'm a big girl." Autumn shooed him away. He glared at Billy-Jack before he left. "Spill it. You've been watching me. So what's up?"

"They read Martha's will yesterday." Autumn nodded. "You signed papers saying if anything ever happened to Martha that you and Athena would take custody of all of Martha's children."

"Billy-Jack, you're not capable of raising kids. Martha was scared you'd just beat the shit out of her and she wanted to make sure the kids got out of that sort of environment if she died."

"So are you taking my kids away?" Autumn folded her legs under her and patted the bed. Billy-Jack took over Dean's vacated seat.

"I can't take them right now. I want to, but I can't. So, let's make a deal."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I want you to stop drinking. A beer every now and then fine, but not the way you normally drink. I want you to go to anger management classes and to for you and the girls to go to family counseling. I'd really like Mom to get help too but I know how she is. Bjers, I love those girls and I don't want anything to happen to them. If I was able to stop what I was doing and settle down to do the mommy thing I would, but I can't."

"Is there anything else?" he asked watching her try and grub up more conditions.

"You move out of your parent's house. You still have my farm, so build a new house further away, or get a house in town. But you only need to see your folks once a week. Maybe do Sunday dinners or something, but not over there everyday. Josh and Kit would love more time with them have them go there after school. They need to see their uncles too. I'll send you the insurance money when it comes in." Autumn took his hand in hers. "If anything happens, the girls get sick or you need a shoulder to cry on, call me. You're still my family. You're an ass and what you did is going to take a long time before we can even be friends but if you need me just call."

"Kendra butt on the seat." Athena told the girl. "Okay, thank you."

"Story time?" Kayla asked snuggled close to John. Athena had to hold back a laugh seeing John so close to something so small and innocent, it wasn't a fitting picture.

"Yea, okay. Once long ago there lived a handsome man. He had a beautiful wife and two wonderful sons. They had a perfect life. The man worked hard everyday and his wife took care of their sons. The older one loved to play tee-ball and had many friends, and the younger one was just a baby but it was already clear that he was bound for better things, that he was a smart boy. But one night as the wife and sons were sleeping and the man was watching TV a stranger showed up in the baby's room."

"What were they're names?" Kendra interrupted. Athena looked at the Winchesters, no point in stopping now.

"The handsome man's name was John, and his beautiful wife was Mary. The oldest son was Dean and his little brother was Sammy." Athena told the girls. "Now, the stranger showed up in Sammy's room and little Sammy started crying. Quickly Mary ran to comfort her son but the stranger killed her and burned down the whole house. John just managed to get his sons out and to safety. John swore he'd find the stranger and kill him for what he'd done. So John started in mission bringing his boys with him. He trained the young boys to be good hunters. Their prey was stronger and smarter than any deer or wild turkey, their prey was ghosts, and demon, ghouls and goblins, the scary creatures of the night. John quickly became the best hunter around and was dubbed King Hunter. His sons were given the title of princes. They wander the earth now searching for the thing that killed Mary and one day they'll kill it. But until then they hunt lesser evils."

"Where are they now?" Kelly asked.

"Did they ever meet any beautiful princesses?" Kendra wondered.

"Sammy did. He met a wonderful beautiful princess, but the stranger saw that Sam was happy and had abandoned the life the stranger wanted him to have so he went after Sammy's princess and he killed Princess Jessica." Athena felt Sam go stiff next to her.

"What about Dean did he ever find a princess?"

"I know this story." Dean cut Athena off before she could answer. "Dean met several amazing women but none of them were just right. But one day he met two huntresses. They were powerful, strong willed women that could easily have any man they wanted but neither of the huntresses wanted a man. Instead they wanted Prince Dean and Prince Sammy to come home and meet these three princesses."

"What were their names?"

"Kendra, Kelly, and the shy little Kayla. But they were very young. So Prince Dean and Prince Sam swore that they would protect the young princesses. Until one day they were ready to go off and find princes there own age."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, this is only 3 pages but I thought I had a good place to stop. R&R, and I'll work on the next. If you want to see more of Autumn and Athena from a little different point of view go read Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by my most faithful reviewer Posinchik88. Even if you don't want to see more of Autty and Teenie go read it... -shakes fist- or else...**

**Chapter Seven **

"Okay sign here." Dr. Morgan said handing Autumn a clipboard and pen. Autumn read over the document and signed. "Okay, you are released."

"Thank you."

Autumn slid out of her bed and tugged on the lose jacket her sister had brought in. Athena had gone to get their dog, Sam and Dean went to pack up the motel room, and was warming up his truck. She staggered under the weight of the small duffle bag and pushed out past Dr. Morgan. He followed after her until she got to the elevator and she was half afraid he'd get in with her. John was waiting just outside the doors, standing next to his beat up old pick up. Autumn tossed her bag in the cab, and brushed away John's attempts to help her in.

"You're not always going to be around to help me." she said heaving herself into her seat. John shut the door and circled around to the driver's seat.

"We're going to meet up at the parking lot of the motel we've been staying at." he told her as he pulled away from the hospital. She hadn't been prepared for how cold it was and shivered rubbing her arms and inwardly cursing the pain it caused.

"Then you're out of here, right?" she asked.

"Autumn," he started taking the 'you have to understand' tone.

"Don't worry. I get it. You've got to stay far far away because God forbid you're around when your boys need you." John chuckled and reached over to pat her leg.

"That's why I'm leaving them with you. Whatever they need back up for you'll take down, won't you?" Autumn felt a swelling of pride at his words.

"Or die trying." she answered. It was supposed to be confident, nothing can stop me, words. But their effect was the opposite. John looked at her taking his eyes of the road.

"They're not going to just let you die. If they were going to do that they wouldn't have stuck in your room the past few days the way they have. They sure as hell wouldn't have come to meet the monsters you call a family."

"Dad, I didn't mean I was going to die, just that… If that's what it takes that's what it takes. I'm in for the long haul." John shot her the same charming grin his boys sported.

"I know, babe." Autumn scooted closer to the door, to be seated right in front of the air vent and closed her eyes. "When you said you knew where to find out how to stop the demon, where were you thinking?"

"I'm not stupid, John. I've got to take it slow, and easy. Doesn't mean I'm going to pass up a hunt if I cross one just that I need to be a little cautious about them. So I figured we'd head toward Montana. Jen's got some classes up there, and a few beginner hunts laying about. I'll be back in the game full time in no time. In the mean time, she's got a killer library, and family history in the Hunting business." Autumn opened her eyes and twisted in her seat to watch him as she spoke.

"What about Will?" he asked scratching his head. She couldn't stop the gentle upward twitch of her lips at the mention of the boy.

"Jen only hears from him through letters, and voice recordings. He comes in to the Resort stocks up leaves a note or tape and gets out all before day break. She calls him when she needs him but he don't answer her. Whatever Will is doing no one knows where he is, or what he's hunting. No one talks to him, well except…" she trailed off and John shot her a look.

"Except who?" he asked.

"Except Marc." John laughed.

"Marc, the psycho, hunter wannabe? Doesn't he wear a tin hat?" Autumn frowned.

"Yes, that's the Marc I'm talking about but be nice."

"Sorry, didn't know you had a thing for him." John teased. Autumn fumed.

"I don't have a thing for him, but he's been through a lot, and there's not need to make fun of him for what he's…become."

"Autumn, instead of shaking someone's hand he licks their neck, and to show he likes you he gives you a foil hat." John rationalized.

"Whatever. So you dropping me off and leaving or not?"

"I'll follow you out of town, but essentially, yes."

"I swear." Autumn sighed.

"If I could stay I would," he paused and she knew he was getting ready to shift to another conversation. Autumn pressed her cheek against the window and hugged her jacket around her. "You'll call me if you find something?" she wasn't sure he was actually asking.

"John, I'll call you no matter what." she said with a roll of her eyes. He patted her leg again.

"That's my girl."

There was a reason she admired him. A reason she'd put up with anything he did. If he were to treat her the way Billy-Jack had, she knew she'd stick with him. It was times like this she grabbed onto that reason for dear life. She loved him, respected him, and admired him, because he was stronger than her biological father, and he cared more than her legal father. She knew if it really came down to it John would chose his children over all else, and she was honored that he didn't brush her away when she called him 'Dad'. Right now she needed a dad.

"What do you really think about the girls calling you Grandpa?" she asked so she didn't have to listen to Johnny Cash. He shrugged a little, on hand coming up to brush through his stubble.

"I don't know. I like the idea," he looked over at her with a warning almost teasing look. "Not that I'm keen on grandkids anytime soon." Autumn left out a quick snort of laughter.

"Don't worry about that, Dad. Athena and I keep our legs closed and if it comes to it I'll tie you're boys 'equipment' in a knot."

"I didn't say I never wanted them." he chuckled.

"Which is why I'm just going to knot it. A knot can be undone. I could use the bull bander…that'd be fun." she joked.

"What's that?"

"A bull bander? It's this.. It looks like a pair of pliers, and you can slip a wee little rubber hand over these prongs on the end. Then when you squeeze it, it opens up the rubber band and you slid the… umm bull's junk down in the rubber band and roll it off the bander. The rubber band cuts off circulation and…" she let him fill in the blanks. He winced a little and shifted in his seat, causing Autumn to laugh.

"And you've done that before?" John asked still fidgeting with the idea.

"Yes, well not on a person. Goats, sheep, a couple of bulls…" she giggled. "And a very annoying tom cat. When I started high school, I kept a bander on my dash."

"The motel is right up here."

Sam and Dean were propped against the Impala, Sam's jacket was zipped around him his hands in the pockets of his carhart, Dean left his coat open, typical tough guy, on hand stuck in his jeans pocket while the other one swept over his baby. John pulled up next to them, left the truck running and got out. Autumn dropped down to the ground steadying herself using the door. Her body wasn't as stiff as it had been yesterday, and the pain was far more tolerable but that didn't mean it wasn't there. She kept her eyes down so she would have to see the look on Dean's face. He and John had wanted her to stay in the hospital a few more days. Once she was sure she had her footing she grabbed her bag off the seat and shut the door.

"How you doin' Red?" John asked as she made her way up to them.

"I'm doin' Dad."

"You're going to Montana." John announced to his boys. "The Rainings live up there and they'll be able to keep you moving and get Autumn back on her feet. In the time it takes to do that, there is a library there. Anything you could ever want to know about hunting is there, if you can't find it in the books ask one of the hunters themselves." he looked at Autumn. "What's the name of the damn place again?" She smiled, he'd never been able to remember the full title.

"Raining Cloud's Hunter's Resort."

"Right. It's a good place to hide out, and re-coop." he gave Autumn a pointed look.

"Even better place to train and learn." she stuck her tongue out at him.

'Which is why I dumped you there last time."

"I thought, it was because you wanted us out of your hair." she batted her singed lashes.

"Look, Plays With Fire, I'm about this close to making you take custody of those girls and keep your ass here." John threatened.

"What do you mean 'take custody'?" Sam interjected.

"Autumn and Athena are supposed to take custody of Kendra, Kelly, and Kayla." John said not taking his eyes off Autumn.

"And you weren't going to tell us this?" Dean asked.

"I took care of it." Autumn ground out glaring at John. "I took care of everything." Athena pulled in and the moment she opened the door John-Dog was out of the car and on top of Autumn. She hit the asphalt hard the dog's tongue crammed down her throat. "Johnny. Baby. Mommy's hurt you got to"

"Ease up pooch." Dean had the dog by the collar and pulled him back. Sam yanked Autumn back to her feet.

"You okay Autty?" he asked brushing gravel from her back.

"Yea, but I'm sick of Ohio. Let's get some miles between us." she added pep to her voice wrenching John-dog's collar from Dean's hand.

"See you at the next stop?" Athena asked wrapping her arms around John's neck.

"Yea." he hugged her back. "You kids be careful." the other three hugged him before climbing into their cars.

"You going to be alright?" Athena asked as they passed under the 'Now leaving OHIO' sign.

"I hope so." Autumn leaned her head over to her sister's shoulder. "Thanks squirt." Athena laughed.

"Hey, I've got your back, no matter what."

**A/N: So that was it. I'll start the next one tonight, but I don't know when it'll be up. It is to be titled Werewolf Territory, so look for it. If you haven't read The Boogeyman or Race to Kill or The Burning Family you should read those and follow the Daemons and Winchesters from the start. MUCH LOVE. Thanks for reading R&R! Sarah and Katie**


End file.
